Albania

Albania has made important strides to tackle poverty in the last few years. Still, an estimated of 12.4% of of the Albanian population live below the poverty line. Among them are families whose poverty conditions are so extreme that they struggle to survive on less than one dollar per day. This kind of poverty is especially widespread in rural and mountainous areas because of significant disparities in income distribution between the urban and rural areas.

High employment, which is an important cause of poverty, can also be linked to the crippled education system. A decaying infrastructure, under-qualified teachers, and a lack of modern facilities contribute to the increasing school dropout rates and an untrained workforce in Albania.

Thousands of children in Albania live in extreme poverty and lack social protection. They can be found working across Albania in the agricultural, construction and fishing industries, or in urban areas carrying out menial jobs. For many Albanians, migration to neighboring European countries seems to be the only way to obtain a decent standard of living.